released June 24, 2016Throttlerod is:Matt Whitehead: guitars and vocalsKevin White: drumsJeremy Plaugher: bassAdditional percussion and guitar by J. Robbins.Produced by J. Robbins and Throttlerod.Engineered and Mixed by J. Robbins at Magpie Cage, Baltimore, MD.Mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio, Cornwall, NY.Additional vocal recordings by Matt Whitehead at home.All songs written by Throttlerod.Publishing: By the Horns Music, ASCAP.Artwork by William Leslie IV.Legal: Harlem Greenwood.Dedicated to the memory of Jim Starace.

THE LEGEND OF SNAILSnail formed in 1992 consisting of singer Mark Johnson (The Crucified, PASTE, Blessing the Hogs), bassist Matt Lynch and drummer Marty Dodson. The eponymous first album (Big Deal Records) garnered much praise in the press, and gained a loyal following from peers, leading to the DIY, 4-track cassette-recorded All Channels are Open EP, after which Snail sadly succumbed to the “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle and eroded to the point of breaking up.REIGN OF BLOODAfter 15 years’ absence, Snail reunited in 2008 with longtime friend and guitarist Eric Clausen as a fourth member, and unleashed Blood (Meteor City), which was among the highest-rated heavy rock records of 2009, combining fuzzy guitars and a pummeling rhythm section with layered, soaring melodies rarely heard in the genre. In a time of industry turmoil, the record went from blood-red to “in the black,” even attracting the attention of underground music legend Henry Rollins, who gave it multiple plays on his "Fanatics" radio show on influential Los Angeles station KCRW.THE END IS THE BEGINNINGSnail's 2012 follow-up, Terminus, showcased all fresh material, infused with the enthusiasm of newly-minted collaboration. Influences that were not evident in past works came to the fore, steeped in old-school metal and psychedelia. The subject matter was noticeably more mature, delving into the themes of mortality and its implications in our modern world. From crushing doom to head-bobbing Camaro rock and hypnotic psych, Terminus was Snail's most varied work to date; but most importantly, it rocked.INTO THE WILDWith the challenge of a “first new album” behind them, Snail set to work on Feral, their fourth full-length and first for Small Stone. Taking the varied approach of Terminus to new degrees of psychedelia and sonic heft, songs like “Smoke the Deathless” and “Thou Art That” epitomize the weighted melodic appeal of the band, while closer “Come Home” steps forward in its brazen emotionalism. Topped off with mind-bending artwork by Seldon Hunt, Feral is their best work to date, demonstrates the progressive capacity of the once-again trio of Johnson, Lynch and Dodson, and shows that Blood and Terminus may have just been the start of the wildness to come.creditsreleases 25 September 2015Snail is:Mark Johnson: guitars, lead vocals, keysMatt Lynch: bass, keys, vocalsMarty Dodson: drums, percussion, vocalsAdditional Rhythm Guitar on “A Mustard Seed” by Eric Clausen.All songs by Mark Johnson except “Thou Art That” by Lynch/Johnson and “Derail” by Lynch.Recorded by Matt Lynch at Mysterious Mammal Recording, Los Angeles.Additional vocal and guitar recording by Mark Johnson at home in Seattle.Mixed and mastered by Matt Lynch.Produced by Matt Lynch and Mark Johnson.Cover Art by Seldon Hunt.Band photo by Mark Abshire.

Reviews:

As far out as Abrahma went on Through the Dusty Paths of Our Lives, they never lost track of the fact that they were writing a piece to contribute to the whole of the record, and the same is true of Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird. More so, even, since the material is tighter and more cohesive and the album itself is nearly 20 minutes shorter at 52:41. It’s that core of songwriting that enables Abrahma to continue to engage the listener in this brooding manner, their attention to detail evident in the effects, solos, rhythmic changes and depth of the mix, which is the kind of abyss in which it’s a pleasure to lose oneself.– THE OBELISKIn all, after a few listens I think this album will go right into my ‘rock & metal masterpieces’ shelf, next to some Pink Floyd, Sleep, Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Black Sabbath releases. Abrahma will fit right in with some of these classics with their perfect combination of powerful rockand a complex and mature sound. Stunning piece of music…– MERCHANTS OF AIRSmall Stone continues to release such gratifying albums and Abrahma seems to be a bit different than the stoner rock norm. The band has combined the elements of psychedelic metal, melodic doom and stoner rock into one big melting pot, creating a distinct album that is sure to draw in fans of these genres. We can see this album taking off since they seem to have a broad reach. We highly recommend this one, it has an overall massive sound quality that will challenge any stereo system. – 9 /11– ROTATION11.COMIf you’re a fan of anything doom, stoner, psych or even just want to hear something new and interesting you could do a lot worse than grabbing a copy of this. It’s wonderful in its scope and showcases a band in very fine form playing with varying moods and delivering an album that shines from start to finish.– METALASFUCK.NETÀ l’écoute de ce deuxième album de haut vol, on ne peut s’empêcher de penser que les Parisiens auraient mérité une petite place sur la scène de la Valley au Hellfest 2015. Qu’à cela ne tienne, on ira braver leurs rafales spatiales sous le bas plafond du Glazart début Juin. Un lieu Idéal pour cette musique entre ciel et terre. – 8/10– NEW NOISE MAG (MAY 2015)The band played Roadburn this year, and they certainly fit in with that festival’s expanding focus. In their more delicate moments, Abrahma also remind me of heavy progressive groups with a knack for catchy vocals, like Porcupine Tree or maybe Klone. It’s not the single heaviest thing I’ve ever heard, but I revisited Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird to contemplate its balance of songcraft and tone, which is much more exciting than just another band that got into metal through grunge.– INVISIBLE ORANGESReflections In The Bowels Of A Bird” is a record you will need to invest time in, given there is little in the way of visceral, fists in the air stuff that immediately catches the ear. However, it is a record that keeps on revealing more and more of itself with each listen and as time goes on it becomes something to cherish. Its ambitious, it’s original and it’s very, very good indeed. – 8/10– MAXIMUM VOLUME MUSICWhen it’s not lashing out with heavy riffs that infect your mind, it’s a slow ambiance that makes you think you’re floating in the great black ether of outer space– RIDE WITH THE DEVILReflections in the bowels of a bird se présente comme un manifeste, une ode au rock lourd, au métal puissant, à la musique ultra heavy et psychédélique. Le quartet puise ses forces aussi bien dans Alice in Chains qu’Electric Wizard ou Monster Magnet, et offre son propre mélange en béton armé. Riffs massue en veux-tu en voilà, ambiances païennes mélancoliques, solos de guitare jamais démonstratifs qui renforcent le caractère impénétrable de cette jungle érigée à la gloire de dieux vaudous oubliés, Abrahma a lancé un sacré pavé dans la mare. L’album est touffu et ne s’apprivoisera pas facilement, malgré une durée plus raisonnable que sur son prédécesseur, Through the Dusty Path of our Lives. Il n’est pas impossible qu’une telle densité en fasse fuir certains. On ne saurait les en blâmer, mais pour les autres, ce second album est un bloc de granit, non pas noir mais rouge sang. Comme les entrailles d’un oiseau, dans lesquelles l’avenir s’annonce radieux. – 8,5/10– LA GROSSE RADIO…Reflections In The Bowels Of A Bird est indéniablement l’un des meilleurs albums de rock heavy qu’il m’ait été donné d’entendre jusqu’ici. Je tire donc tout simplement mon chapeau en espérant qu’ABRAHMA saura trouver le public qu’il mérite chez nous comme à l’étranger…– W-FENEC MAGAZINE (May 2015)Avec « Reflections In The Bowels Of A Bird », Abrahma marque à nouveau un maximum de points et prouve que sa présence sur une structure internationale n’est en rien le fruit du hasard, mais le résultat d’un investissement conséquent dans cet art qu’est le stoner conjugué à une bonne grosse dose de talent. Bougez vos culs pour notre scène et cessez de tourner vos yeux vers l’Amérique : ces régionaux n’ont absolument rien à leur envier ! – 4/5– DESERT-ROCK.COMSo to wrap things up, if you’ve got a yearning for something harkening back to early nineties grunge tinged psychedelia that provides you with a straight ahead rock with chops and hooks to spare, this will definitely be a release for you!– THE SLUDGELORD

“Drone Maintenance” is simply hypnotic at times while being melodic at others. You can only expect the unexpected, which is what one would listen to an album like this for. This album will challenge the listener to reevaluate what they feel an album should sound like. Fans of bands such as Sunn0))) and Earth should really give Blackwolfgoat a listen.- Wicked Channel.com

When you will reach "Bloom" you will have to switch your mind to a different mode. This is no ordinary 70s oriented Rock / Hard Rock album. If you remember PINK FLOYD in their earlier era of the late 60s / early 70s, you will find it here. Also if you mix the psychedelic feel that FLOYD provided along with some LED ZEPPELIN, a bit of RUSH, bits of the easiness of ROLLING STONES, and early 70s BLACK SABBATH, you will have a fine blend of pot smoking induced boom or in this band's case, bloom. Even their artwork suggested that the general notion has its way with psychedelic elements. Whoever value 70s Progressive Rock with, I will entitle it, spiritual means, will surely be fond of this album.

You can wade through as many press quotes about “Texas-sized” as you want or see how many top-whatever lists Wo Fat have made since the Dallas trio got started in 2003, but none of that is going to be the same as staring down their swampadelic fuzz groove for yourself. If you want to know the monster, shake its hand... This is a must have album!

When a band names itself Greenleaf, you can bet your bottom bollock they're either clean living straight-edgers that drink nothing stronger than a cup of green tea, or that they're partial to the occasional skunk-packed jazz cigarette. On discovering that this band's music comprises of murmured vocals and '70s style fuzzy guitar riffs, I'd be willing to wager another gonad that it's the latter substance that floats their boat. This band is all about the riffs. They combine this with the heavy fuzz that they’re known for, and it’s a pretty sweet result. But thankfully, it’s not too reliant on the thicker fuzzy stuff, and GREENLEAF make it clear that they’re here to rock our socks off.

Rare is the band that can create a sound unique enough to call its own without paying heavy homage to some sound of the past, near or distant. Dwellers could very well be such a band. I cannot purport to be any sort of musical historian, so I could never say their music isn't at least somewhat derivative of something somewhere, isn't all music?, but for me the sound this threesome create is incredibly unique, and immensely enjoyable. Each song is relentless in its delivery, melded with inexplicable moxie out of ethereal musings and exhibiting guitar work that soars and churns with dexterous ease, riding a plasma wave of unyielding energy borne of the fiercest joy. Vocals strike an incredibly perfect chord, combining a near perfect rasp to an athletic and capable range, lending themselves to the classification of perfect True Rock vocals....

This is a psychedelic aural feast. The beat will get you nodding your head and the melody will remind you of bands from the early 70s that knew how to throw a little freakout into their rock songs. The Socks are proof that rock ain't dead, baby! Not by a long shot. And if anyone tells you it is, spring this album on the person. If anyone can listen to this album and still say that rock is dead, that person is a soulless automaton and you should probably notify the Men in Black that you have someone for them to round up...

Imagine, if you will, Jeff Buckley jamming with Can, and you’ll have a fair gist of the fantastic voyage that awaits the armies of the Spirit Knife: an album that finds JIRM rekindling their time-traveling communion with vintage psychedelia and Krautrock, while expanding on the sonic palette revealed by the ensemble’s past full-lengths, Elefanta and Bloom.

From the start, Adelphophagia (I’ve had to cut and paste it to make it through this article) creates a mood similar to being suspended in a warm pool of water, staring off into a panoramic vista of the cosmos. Luder fills the cracks left by modern bands that are overly spacey and/or overly distorted (not that it’s bad to do so, just....played out for a bit). Adelphophagia can boast of well crafted tunes supported by carefully dialed in tones, especially in Hamilton’s guitar. On top of being stacked from start to finish with incredibly listenable hard rock originals, there is a cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans” that absolutely slays. It had to be mentioned, but don’t get caught up on it. The whole record is really fantastic. Adelphophagia should creep on some of this years ‘best of’ lists. If not, it’s because they didn’t listen to it.The Ripple Effect

Now the time has finally come for Sasquatch members Keith Gibbs (guitar, vox), Jason Casanova (bass) and Rick Ferrante (drums) to deliver a brand-spanking new album, whose chosen title – IV – was as inevitable as the urgent need shared by discerning fans of superior, song-oriented rock to HEAR IT – and pronto!What they will hear is arguably the power trio’s most mature, inspired and diverse song-set to date, rife with compositional twists, both heartwarmingly familiar and totally unexpected, plus thundering power chords, sizzling solos, shrewd melodic flights and even super-trippy moments – but all of it heavy on the heavy, as they say…always.To top it off, Sasquatch have upped their game where the lyrics are concerned, devoting unprecedented attention to spinning engaging new yarns out of those evergreen rock and roll stories about love lost, hate found, relationships built and lives trashed, homes wrecked, etc. All’s fair in love and doom.At the end of the day, IV’s shimmering end results reveal a real ALBUM, not just a collection of songs that happen to be living under the same roof to save a little rent money!

"Alligator Heart follows last year’s Small Stone debut, Frogs, and finds von Wieding with a more stripped down approach, his swamp-blues psychedelia emerging less from a kitchen-sink barrage of varying elements than from a consistent, steady run of banjo, guitar, foot-stomp percussion and his own gravely vocals. One as ever for brevity, “Banshee w’Me” is quick to make the point of a burgeoning fascination with pop hooks in Larman Clamor‘s songwriting, and in that, a fitting summary of the stylistic growth von Wieding has undertaken with this latest batch of songs."